What does 훌쩍훌쩍 mean?
훌쩍훌쩍 (hul-jjeok-hul-jjeok) means: Sniffling softly while crying.
Trying to hold back tears but failing. The sound of someone bravely trying to stop crying, which often makes them look even more pitiful and sad.
Other sides of 훌쩍훌쩍
◆ pet_grief — While the core definition covers heavy human sobbing, natives instantly switch to this sound-symbolic register when anthropomorphizing a weeping pet or toddler to soften a heavy room. In Korean domestic spaces, where pets are treated as true family members (*반려동물*), using *훌쩍훌쩍* disarms strict hierarchical tension by reducing a tense scolding moment into an endearing, shared collective *정* (affectionate bond). Foreign learners usually misuse it for silent adult grief, missing that this specific mimicry requires a slight theatrical helplessness meant to invite sympathy rather than command respect.
◆ growth_spurt — While textbooks trap 훌쩍훌쩍 in the endless misery of crying and sniffling, native speakers flip the script the second they look at a teenager standing taller than their mother. When used for physical height, it captures a sudden, vertical surge—often accompanied by the slightly startled realization of *jeong* and time passing within Korean family dynamics. It contrasts sharply with 쑥쑥 (which is steady, healthy, organic growth); 훌쩍훌쩍 carries the visual drama of limbs stretching out almost overnight, often prompting older relatives at holiday gatherings to gasp in disbelief at how fast the hierarchy of height has been upended.
◆ growth_spurt — While textbooks trap 훌쩍훌쩍 in the endless misery of crying and sniffling, native speakers flip the script the second they look at a teenager standing taller than their mother. When used for physical height, it captures a sudden, vertical surge—often accompanied by the slightly startled realization of *jeong* and time passing within Korean family dynamics. It contrasts sharply with 쑥쑥 (which is steady, healthy, organic growth); 훌쩍훌쩍 carries the visual drama of limbs stretching out almost overnight, often prompting older relatives at holiday gatherings to gasp in disbelief at how fast the hierarchy of height has been upended.
🎙️ 훌쩍훌쩍은 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [훌쩌쿨쩍]로 소리나요 (격음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 영화가 너무 슬퍼서 옆자리 사람이 훌쩍훌쩍 울더라고요.
yeonghwaga neomu seulpeoseo yeopjari sarami huljjeokhuljjeok uldeoragoyo.
The movie was so sad that the person next to me was quietly sniffling.
💡 Used when someone tries to cry softly without making a loud noise. - 감기 때문에 코가 막혀서 계속 훌쩍훌쩍하게 돼요.
gamgi ttaemune koga makhyeoseo gyesok huljjeokhuljjeokhage dwaeyo.
My nose is stuffy because of a cold, so I keep sniffling.
💡 Can also describe the sound of a runny nose from a cold. - 영화가 너무 슬퍼서 옆자리 사람이 훌쩍훌쩍 울더라고요.
yeonghwaga neomu seulpeoseo yeopjari sarami huljjeokhuljjeok uldeoragoyo.
The movie was so sad that the person next to me was sniffling softly as they cried.
💡 Use to describe quiet, continuous sniffling when trying not to sob loudly.
Related words in Laughing & Crying
엉엉 eong-eong껄껄 kkeol-kkeol낄낄 kkil-kkil꺄르르 kkya-reu-reu빵(터지다) ppang(teo-ji-da)